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The Elder Scrolls Online Revealed

With Skyrim recently continuing the trend of giving Bethesda the Game of the Year award it makes sense to assume that The Elder Scrolls franchise really has what it takes to produce some truly amazing games. The single player RPG world has captivated players since Arena, taking you into a deeply immersive world of Tamriel. While The Elder Scrolls series is one that has been a smash hit as a single player game, the question always came up about how it would fare as an MMO, leaving some fans drooling over the prospects of exploring the lands with a party of their best friends. Well today it’s official, Game Informer has released an article teasing readers about the June cover article which features a first look at The Elder Scrolls Online.

The game is being produced by Zenimax Online Studios with MMO veterans such as Matt Firor, whose previous work included Dark Age of Camelot. The game is set a millennium before the events of Skyrim, and players will deal with the Daedric prince Molag Bal trying to bring Tamriel into his realm in Oblivion. Matt Frior told GameInformer:

“It will be extremely rewarding finally to unveil what we have been developing the last several years, the entire team is committed to creating the best MMO ever made – and one that is worthy of The Elder Scrolls franchise.”

Tomorrow morning there will be a trailer from Zenimax and Bethesda Softworks, with screenshots coming later in the evening. All of the information going onward can be tracked at Game Informer’s own Elder Scrolls Online hub, which will be giving out exclusive content multiple times a week.

As a major fan of The Elder Scrolls series, I meet this news with an open mind, but a cautious approach. I have always wanted a way to play around the world of Skyrim or Cyrodiil with friends, but the full-blown status of an MMO is something I have debated before. This could spell great success for the series, but a different production studio and a new feel to a game that has made all of its success as a single player RPG could spell trouble. I’ll wait to see more information before I give final judgment, but this news has to have many gamers foaming at the mouth. So what do you guys think? Is it good that The Elder Scrolls is going online? What’s your opinion on the game being produced by Zenimax? Lets hear it!

[quote comment=”19212″]I’m excited that people behind DAoC are involved, best PvP of any MMO.

But, I am saddened that this probably marks the death of The Elder Scrolls series.[/quote]

It saddens me to hear that as an opinion from another knowledgeable gamer. I feel like we are seeing very large parts of the industry growing and things like Halo 4 (the continuation of a series that could be considered done) and then moves like TESO (Transformation of a multi-time successful game from one play type to another) which really are testing the bounds of what can happen to a good story/world/idea in the gaming industry. I will consider myself a large purist for a lot of games, the former two in particular. I will hate to see TES go down the drain do to something like an MMO. I would hope it doesnt take away from the single player style of the game but we will have to see what is going to happen as more content comes out.

Its also interesting you note PvP. Im wondering if that is going to be the big draw of TESO or if it will mostly be story oriented. I havent played an MMO in a long time so I may be wrong in assuming PvP isnt the main focus. Hopefully though, the game will live up to the greatness that is the Elder Scrolls series.

It’s sad to think that I’ll be missing out on this next chapter of the series, but unless this is an MMO completely unlike any other I’ve experienced (in gameplay and price structure), it’ll be a pass for me. Still holding out hope that maybe this is the Final Fantasy XI equivalent for the series and they’ll keep releasing single-player games in the future.

I think The Elder Scrolls series definitely needs an overhaul. As impressive as Skyrim was, I really just didn’t have much fun with it (and I understand I’m in the minority here, and I’m still hoping to go back someday and fall in love with it). However, I’m not sure MMORPG is the right kind of overhaul, since that genre is pretty samey as a whole. And since the point of those games is to play over a long stretch of time, I feel like players are never really looking for the next big MMORPG. They might be intrigued when they hear about something like this, but did they (we) really want it?

After seeing the first screenshots on the aforementioned HUB, I am going to give serious thumbs down to the game. I think Nick is right in suggesting its the end of the series. Even if its not the end, it will not bode well. It looks like and makes me think NOTHING of The Elder Scrolls.